Detachable-wheel-securing mechanism.



S. J RALPH.

DBTAGHABLB WHEEL SBGURING MBGHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12, 1911.

'Patented 1160.31, 1912 s SHEETS-SHEET 1.

NAS

S. J. RALPH.

DETACHABLE WHEEL SBGURING MEGHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED HAY 12, 1911. 1,049,146, PatentedADeo. 31, 1912.

' 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

S. J. RALPH.

DBTAGHABLE WHEEL SBCURING MECHANISM.

, APPLICATION FILED MAY 12, 1911.

049146, Patented 1360.31, 15H2.

s SHEETS-SHEET s.

UNITED y STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN JAMIESON RALPH, 0F STOCKTON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE KEEBLE, OF LINCOLNVBOAD, PETERBOROUGH, ENGLAND.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Deo. 31, 1912.

Application led May 12, 1911. Serial No. 626,868.

To all 'whom fit may conce; u.

Be it known that I, STEPHEN JAMiEsoN RALrH, a subject of .the King of England, residing at Stockton-on-Tees, in the county of Durham, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Detachablel'Vheel-Securing Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to caps for securing detachable wheels and has for its object irnprovenients in the type of wheel securinginechanism described in my British Patent No. 26380/1909.

ln wheel securing-mechanism of the kind referred to, the cap is prevented from unscrewing by means of a ratchet rackv and spring pawl device. The cap is provided with permanent mechanism' for releasing and holdingreleased the spring pawl or pawls during only the early movement of the cap in uiiscrewing.

The mechanism comprises a member Aor ring slidable on the screw cap and preferably operated by the fingers. The out-ward movement of this sliding ring withdraws the pawl or pawls from engagement with the ratchet rack and the ring is automatically locked and held in its withdrawn position by means of an arrangement of spring pin or pins and spring catches. These spring` pins or stops were, in my previous construction, arranged obliquely in the-screw cap so that, during the outward movement of the screw cap, the pins, forced inward toward the wheel hub, would move in an angular direction until their 'heads cleared the spring catches. screw cap and sliding ring draw the latter inward. In my previous construction these springs were separate from the springs con'- -trolling the pawls and were arranged inl pockets in the screw cap separate from the pockets within Which the 'spring pawls work.

According to the present invention the spring pin or pins are arranged to lie and to slide in a line parallel with the axis of the wheel. The spring catch 0r catches, 'engaging thc head of the pin or pins to hold the sliding ring and pawls in their retracted position, is or are caused to gradually work off the head of the pin or pins by meanvsjof. an inclined surface or surtacesonthe siiciyff Y cap. According to this invention inoreover,"

the springs for forcing the pawls 'intofgen- Springs arranged between the gagement with the ratchet rack also serve to draw the sliding ring back into its innermost position when it is released in the act Aof unscrewing the cap.

The invention further consists of improvements in details of construction and arrangement of the parts as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one construction of the present improvements applied to a form of detachable wire wheel.

Figure l is a view partly in section showing the wheel secured in position; Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the pawls wit-hdrawn from the rack and held in that position ready for unscrewing the cap; Fig. 3 shows the screw cap removed and the Wheel partly withdrawn, and Fig. et is a transverse sectional view of the lower portion of Fig. 2.

A indicates the hub of the detachable wheel which is made to slide on the sleeve B keyed to the axle C.' In the example shown the hub A is connected to the fixed part B so as to rotate therewith by means of clutch teeth Dl on a ring or sleeve D fixed inside` the hub A. The clutch teeth D1 are made to .D The cap E screws on to the fixed part B and projects into the hub A. When screwed right home the fiange E1 of the cap Epresses on the end of the hub to hold the Wheel firmly in position.

F indicates the spring pawls, of which in thepresent example there are three, which work in pockets E2 in the cap E. -The pawls are forced into engagement with the rack D3 by springs E3 which exert their pressure bef.; tween the bottoms of the pockets E2 and if shoulder on the pawls. The pawls are prevented froni being forced too far beyond the cap E by the heads ofscrews' G passing through the pawls F and the springs Es and screwed into the sliding ring or sleeve H. In the `arrangement shown, the headsl of the screws Gr are fiat and engage freely in.y a transverse slot F1 in the toothed end of the pawls. lith this arrangement the pawls F can .slide along the screws a sullicientdistance to clear the teeth of the rack when riding over them and are at the same time prevented from turning around the fixed screw (l. The teeth of the pawls are thus maintained in the proper radial position for engaging the teeth on the rack D. rIhe ring f, ll 1s moved outward carrying with it the 5 retracted position. Any suitable number of /.springrpins l may b: employed, only one being used in the example shown. rIhe pin I forced by a spring Il toward the right, in Figs. l and 2, and is prevented from Inoving too far in that direction by means of a screw or pin L fixed in the cap E. The axis of the pin I falls about midway across the circular rack D3 and the rack is channeled out at I)4 to form a smooth surface against 'which the end of the pin I bears when the ring .H is slid outward and the spring catch l engages the head of the pin as shown in Fig. 2. The cap E is recessed at E to accon'nnodate the spring catch K and one face of the recess is formed slanting or inclined to the axis of the wheel. When the ca p E is being unscrewed, the inclined face E?. during its outward movement, will, as hereinafter' described contact with the spring catch K and gradually force it to move outward o'll' the head of the pin I. As soon as the catch is thus tripped from the head of the pin I, the sliding ring H will be drawn inward by the springs E3. The tripping of im the catch Kwill not occur until the cap E has been unscrewed a distance suilicient to carry the pa'wls Il away from the rack D3 and prevent them rengaging with the rack on their return movement which is effected by the springs E3.

The operation of the device is as follews:-The wheel being placed on the fixed part B, the cap E is screwed on to the pait- I3 until Athe pawls F reach the rack D3.

Further screwing of the cap will cause the,

pawls to ride over the teeth of the rack and be forced into engagement therewith by the springs E3. The cap is thus prevented from being screwed backward. "When it is de- 5r .sn-ed to remove the wheel, the sliding ring H is pulled outward, preferably by the ingers ot' the hands engaging beneath its Harige H1, until it reaches the position showny in Fig. 2. The spring catch K will nowspr/iiig inward behind the head of the spring pin I and the ring II and the pawls F will be held re? tracted from 'the rack I)3 as shown. The cap E may now be ulnscrcwed by applying power to its 'flattened head. The spring I1 1s weaker than the springs E3 so that as the cap E is unscrewed the spring `Il is compressed, due to the action of the springs .E3 through the catch K and pin I, and the ring H carrying the paWls does not at once move outward, but remains for a time at a distance away from the face rack governed .by the combined lengths ofthe. pin I and the catch K. When the cap has been removed a sufficient distance, the inclined surface E5 will come into contact with the spring catch l and act upon it to force it out beyond the head of the spring pin I. The ring Il together with the pavvls F will now be drawn inward into a position ready for the cap to be screwed on again when desired.

It will be understood that while I have shown my improved mechanism applied to a detachable wheel revolving with its axle, the improved device is also applicable to Wheels mounted to run free on their axles.

Further, modifications may be made in the construction of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, instead of forming the inclined surface, or surfaces, E on the screw cap itself, the same may be formed on a piece or pieces separ'ate from the screw cap and afterward attached thereto by any suitable means.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination with a wheel hub of a detachable wheel securing device comprising a cap adapted to engage with the wheel hub, a ring mounted on said cap, spring actuated pawls carried by said ring and adapted to engage with the wheel hub, a pin carried by the cap and disposed parallel to the axis of the wheel hub, a device carried by said ring and coperable with said pin to hold said pawls out of engaging position, and means associated with the cap coperable to automatically effect the release of said holding device, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a wheel hub of a detachable wheel securing device comprising a cap adapted to engage with the/wheel hub, a` ring mounted on said cap, spring actuated pawls carried by said ring and adapted to engage with .the wheel hub, a spring actuated pin carried by the cap and disposed parallel to the .of the wheel hub, a device carried by said ring` and co .operable with said pin to hold said pawls out of' engaging position, and Said cap having an inclined surface adapted to engage lll() with and automatically effect the reIase of saidho'ldingdevice when thecap has been unscrewedfto such :in extent that the rack is out of range of said pawls, substantially as described. V v

3. The combination with a wheel hub of a detachable wheel securing device comprising a can adapted to engage with the wheel hub, a ring mounted on said cap, a plurality of pawls carried by said ring, springs associated with said'pawls andl adapted to hold the same in engagement with the wheel hub, a' pin carried by the cap and disposed parallel 4to the axis of the'wheel hub, a resilient member carried by the ring andr adapted to engage with said pin to hold the cap and ring separated and the pawls out of engaging position,`said cap having an i'nclined surface adapted to engage With and automatically release said resilient member and allow said paWI springs to restore said pawls and the ring and cap to normal posi.-

tions, when said cap has been unscrewed to such an extent that the rack is out of range of said pawls, substantially as described.

4. The combination Witha Wheel hub of a detachablewheel securing device comprising a cap adapted to engage with the wheel hub, said cap being provided vitli a pluf rality of recesses, a ring mounted on said cap, bolts secured to said ring and disposed within said cap recesses, pawls movably mounted on said -bolts Withinsaid recesses, springs mounted on said bolts, operable to hold said pawls in engagement with` the Wheel hub, a spring pin carried by the cap and'disposed parallel to the axis of the Wheel hub, a resilient member carried by said ring and adapted to engage with said pin to hold said cap and ring separated and the said pawls out of engaging position, and said cap having an inchnedsiirtace adapted to en gage with and automatically release said iesilieiit member whereby to restore 4.said cap, ring and paWls to normal position when the cap has been unserewed to such an extent that the rack -is out of range of said pawls, f

gaging the channel in said rack', a resilient-4 meinber carried by said ring and adapted:

to engage with said pin to hold said cap and ring separated and the said paWls out of ngaging position, said cap having an inclined surface. adapted t-o engage with and automatically release Asaid resilient member lwhereby to restore said cap, ring and pawls to normal position when the cap has been unsci'ewedrto such an extent that the rackA is out'of rangev of the pawls, substantially as described. l In'v testimony whereofv I have signed myv name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

STEPHEN JAMIESON RALPH.-

lVitnesses:

J. H..WALTON, FRANK I. WVHITE. 

